Connection-counter for telephone-lines.



No. 655,164. C N Patented luly 3|, I900.

' w c. E. SCRIBNER.

CONNECTION COUNTER FOR TELEPHONE LINES.

(Application filed Nov. 13, 1897.)

(No Model.)

Inventor;

ame/ ms :0, PNOYD-LITNO. WASHINGTON. a. c.

UNITED STATES P T N Orrrcs.

' CHARLES E. SORIBNER, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE wn'srnnn ELECTRIC-COMPANY, or SAME PLACE.

CONNECTION-COUNTER FOR TELEPHONE-LINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Iatent No. 655,164, dated July 31, 1900.

' Application and November 13,1897. Serial No. 658,390. (No model) T ct ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. SCRIBNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Connection Counters for Telephone-Lines, (Case No. 455,) of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the ac-' companying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

This invention concerns the registration of the use of telephone-lines. The appliance is designed to register calls sent in the initiation of connections and receiving response on the part of theoperator at the central. office and is adapted for use in connection with switchboards of the ordinary type having annunciators and means for restoring the annunciators in the act of answering the calls. In an application of even date herewithI have described and claimed, broadly, a connectioncounter designed for this general mode of operation adapted-for association with lines arranged for the automatic transmission of signals. The present application relates, therefore, to the use of this type of apparatus in connection with annuneiators adapted for momentary operation by call-signals transmitted by special acts of the subscribers.

The invention consists in the combination of the line-annunciator and the local restoring-circuit thereof, with means for closing the local circuit in the act of making connec- 3 5 tion with the line, of electromagnetically-controlled counting mechanism having its cona trolling electromagnet in a circuit controlled The connection=counter comprises a magnet jointly by special switch-contacts associated 'i', an armature and armature-levert' thereof, with the indicator of the annunciator and by a pawl i or other suitable mechanism con- 90 4o switch-contacts closingthe local restoring-cirtrolled by the armature, and a train of countcuit of the annunciator, the electromagnet ing-wheels t actuated by the pawl when the being excited only when both of these dearmature is moved. Each line-annunciator vices become operative, whereby the transhas switch-contacts o 0 which become closed mission of a call and the operation of the linetogether through the agency of the shutter 5 annunciator thereby, followed by the estabc of the annuneiator. when the latter is relishment of connection with the line in released and falls to showa call-signal: These calling and connecting appliances in a telephone-switchboard, each line being provided with a connection countert The apparatus at the subscribers stations A and A may 5 5' comprise the usual transmitting and receiving telephone, call-bell, generator of alternating signalingcurrent, and switch for switching the telephones and the bell alternatelyinto the circuit of thefline. The line conductors 1 and 2 therefrom lead to one or more spring-jacks b in a telephone-switchboard in the central oflice and are permanently connected together through the windin g of the so-called line-magnet c of a lineannunciator 0. Each of the spring-jacks is provided with the usual line-contacts b b and, in addition to these, with local contacts 12 12 The local contact 72 forms the normally-open terminal of a grounded conductor '70 3, which includes a battery d. The corresponding contact If forms the terminal of a wire 4, leading to earth through the restoring-magnet c of the line-anuunciator.

The usual connecting-plugs c e are fur- 75 nished for the use of the operator in connecting lines together through the medium of their spring-jacks. The plugs form the terminals of a plug-circuit 5 6, which includes a calling key f for transmitting calling cur- 8o rent through the plug e' and which is connected with alistening keygfor bringing the operators telephone into the plug-circuit and with a clearing-out annuneiator 721 for indicating the signal for disconnection.

Each line is provided with a connectioncounter t' permanently Iassociatedwith it.

spouse to the call, causes the act of registration. I I,

The invention is'illustrated inthe attached drawing, which represent two subscribers stations connected by lines with the usual contacts 0 and c may occupy the same position and operate in the same way as the nightbell contacts usually provided on such anwe nunciators. The contact spring 0 of this pair is connected with the wire 4 between the nectioncounter.

V structe'd for exceedingly-rapid.operation as.

The counting mechanism should'be conrespects the time required in the act of re-' storing the annunciator. This condition may be attained by rendering the response of'the restoring-magnet of the annunciator slow by any well-known means or by adapting the counting mechanism for quickresponse to an exciting-current;

I will pass atonceto the description of the mode -tion A -releases the shutter of the annuncia- -tor to indicate the signal, and thus brings the contact-pieces c 0 into electrical connection.

The insertion of a plug e into the spring-jack "b of the calling line in response to this call icrosses together the contact-pieces b b of the spring-jackthrough the medium of the insulated sleeve" of the plug, completing a circuit from battery d through wires 3, 4, and -7. Thecurrent in this circuit excites the magnett of the connection-counter and causesthis instrument to register one answered call. An instant later, after sufficient time'has-elapsed for the charging of the re-] Y storing-magnet c of the line-annunciator, the shutter c of the annunciator is attracted and :the contact-points" c 0 become again sepa- -rated,,so that the disconnection of the counter.

from the line and the restoration of the indiously; f

E Obviously theiact of the subscriber alone in transmitting a call-signal would be ineffect-i've for the registration of the use of the -line,-inasmuch'as no closed circuit including a-source of current would be formed through ihe'magn'et of the counter. Similarly the es .tablishment of connection with a line over -which no call'had been sent would not oper- -ment of the establishment of the connection .thercontact-pieces c c of the line-annuncia line would be sepa-' 10f making connection with such lines locks :nection-counter through :the' line-annunciator in itsv normal position, fand'hence prevents the actuation of the concurrents occurring -incidentally in the use of the lines. The registering'appliance therefore registers only -calls for the initiaion of connections which -rec eive:'response from the attendant at the switchboard and effects this through cooperanon of the subscriber and the attendant.

The operation of tamngirrbmsubstation" for a connection and the operators acts in answering the call are well known, and hence cator to its normal position occur simultaneate the connection-counter, since at the moto cause the eifacement of I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination with a telephone-line, a magnet associated therewith to indicate a call, "and means for making connection with the line, of an electrically-controlled con- 7 ncction-registering appliance associated with the line, a local circuit including the magnet thereof, said local circuit being normally broken at two points, switch-contacts controlled by the said call-ind-icating magnet to close one break in the local circuit, and other switch-contacts. adapted to be brought to gether in theact of making connection with the llll to olo'se'another break in the local circuit; whereby the registering applianceis actuated when a call is followed by the establishment of connection with the line, as described.

2. The combination with a telephone line, the line-annunciator thereof, and the springjack for making connection with the line, of a connection-counter associated with the line; a local circuit including the controlling-mag net of the connectioncounter normally broken at two points, switch-contacts on the line-annunciator adapted to be closed thereby breaks,and switch-contacts in the spring jack adapted to be connected therein when a plug is inserted'in the jack to close the other of said 'breaks,and a source of current in the local circuit, as described. 7

3. The combination witlif a telephone-line and-means for causing calling or signalin'g'current to flow in the line, of a line-annunciatoras sociated with the line and responsive to current flowing therein, a terminal spring-jack for the line whereby connection may be made therewith, a connection-register for the line, a circuit controlling or'governing the operation of said connection-register,a source of electric current included in said circuit for effecting the operation'of the connection regi'ster, and two sets of switch-contacts, one set actuated by the line-annunciator and the other set actuated by connection with the spring-jack,said two sets of switch-contacts acting jointly or cooperating to control the continuity of the said circuit governing the connection-register, whereby said connection-register is operated when connection is made with the spring-jack in response'to a call indicated bythe lineam A nunciator, substantially as described.

4. The combination witha telephone-line and means for causing aflow ofcalling current therein, of an annunciator for the line adapted to respond to the flow of calling current in the line, whereby a signal is displayed, a restoring-winding for the said annunciator adapted when traversed by electric current, the line-signal, a

' local circuit including a source of current and the restoring-winding of the line-annunciator, and switch-contact closed. in the act of making connection with the spring jack of the line for "in the display of the signal to close one'of the l closing said local circuit, a:connecti0n-register for the telephone-line, a branch circuit controlling said connection-register, and a switch-contact governing said branch circuit, actuated by the line-annunciator in displaying its signal, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a telephone-line, the line-annunciator thereof, the spring-jack for the line and the local circuit normally open in the spring-jack including a restoring-magnet of the line-annunciator, of an electrically controlled connection-counter associated with 

